In January, 15 of our women took the church van to Enid, OK for our annual sectional Women's Ministries LIFE rally. LIFE stands for Ladies Investing For Eternity. LIFE is the missions arm of the Oklahoma District Women's Department. There we made our annual pledge, enjoyed the praise and worship, the meal, the speaker, and shopping at the various vendor booths.

As was the year 2013, this year has been a "year of projects" for the Women's Ministries of Calvary Assembly of God, Stillwater, OK. We have been very successful in ministering to Oklahoma, USA and the uttermost parts of the world. Now we are winding down and closing out this year with a healthy budget for next year.

In March, we met at the church kitchen and baked over 200 cookies for Payne County Youth Services who distributed a dozen cookies to each of the businesses in Stillwater who serve as a Safe Place (an escape from potential harm).

One of the projects we were involved in is Dress A Girl Around The World. The objective is to sew pillowcase dresses that includes a specific label on it that an abductor will recognize and makes him aware that she is loved and cared for. Therefore the girl is less likely to be abducted into human trafficking. Our women made over 200 dresses from donated fabric and notions that our congregation donated. Missionaries took and distributed these dresses to impoverished girls in under developed countries. Our group was only one chapter in Payne County who was involved in this ministry.

Another ministry we were involved in is CASA, which stands for Court Appointed Special Advocates. We sewed over 100 17"X17" bags that were given to CASA who filled them with toys, necessities and gifts for Christmas and given to the boys and girls who have been assigned to foster parents in Payne County. In addition, we made bags and filled them with church donated items and gave them toHillcrest Children's Home in Hot Springs, AR.

Some of our ladies volunteer their help at Stillwater Life Services, where women can receive counceling on pregnancy options, etc. One of our ladies gives 1/2 day each week volunteering in their office, and some volunteer service at their warehouse organizing donated children's clothing. Others donate quilts and other sewn baby items to SLS. These items are given to the new mothers graduating fromSLS program after making the important choice of keeping her baby.

Samaratin's Purse is another project that our congregation was involved in. We covered shoe boxes with Christmas wrap and filled the boxes with gifts, toiletries, a shirt, etc. In mid November our boxes, that included $7/box, were taken to the centralized drop off site to be delivered overseas.

For those who don't sew, we have cut and assembled No Sew Fleece Throws to be given to cancer patients who are receiving treatment atStillwater Medical Cancer Center. As part of this ministry, a comforting, encouraging scripture is attached to each throw.

Hot pads have been made from fabric donated by our church congregation and constructed by one of our ladies. A group of Missionary doctors from the Stillwater area pack the hot pads what they have room for in their luggage and take them to Bolivia and distribute them to the women there.

We provide a $25 Wal Mart gift card to a newly married couple in our church and to the parents of each newborn.

We serve a meal at the church to the family who has lost a loved one. When the cook in a family comes home from the hospital, we have taken complete meals to that family.

We served a Chicken and Noodle dinner after the morning church service. From the proceeds, we were able to bless a member of our church family with money to buy the medical equipment she needed.

At our Thanksgiving Dinner, we had a Silent Auction of a Christmas Quilt, 3 baby quilts and a metal cross (all from donations). From this we received $596 and we were able to bless 5 families at Christmas time.

Each month a group of ladies met for lunch at a previously designated restaurant.

Women's Ministries is designed for ladies 18 years and older. You may contact Laureene Gantz, Women's Ministries President to answer any question you might have about any of the above projects. Home phone - 405-377-4312 Cell phone - 405-614-0279